06 August 2014

Samsung Dominance Threatened by Xiaomi (video)

Why Samsung Dominance Is Threatened by Xiaomi: Video - Bloomberg: (Allow video to load after clicking play or go to link above)Andreessen Horowitz Partner Benedict Evans and IDC Director of Mobile Device Tracking Ryan Reith discuss earnings, competition and their outlook for Samsung on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg 7/31)Samsung slips and Xiaomi takes China's mobe sales crown • The Register: "Xiaomi, the four-year-old Chinese hardware manufacturer whose CEO models himself on Steve Jobs (before he died,) has become the Middle Kingdom's largest seller of smartphones and eclipsed former market leader Samsung. "This is a phenomenal achievement for Xiaomi," said Shanghai-based Canalys Research Analyst Jingwen Wang, whose firm compiled the latest market data...."When Will Microsoft's Nokia Handset Business Become Profitable? - Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) | Seeking Alpha: "... If Microsoft's projections are accurate, the Nokia handset [may]... start impacting positively on EPS in fiscal 2016. The Surface Tablet is, however, likely to continue losing money as Microsoft continues lowering its price points in a bid to become a ''mobile first, cloud first'' company."Xiaomi Opens Up About Servers After Spying Allegations - Digits - WSJ: "... The company’s global vice president Hugo Barra told The Wall Street Journal that users’ personal information is not stored on the server in Beijing that sparked cyberspying rumors last month, and that Xiaomi only stores personal information on different servers with users’ permission...."Will Android Benefit From Samsung's Woes? - Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) | Seeking Alpha: "... In the last quarter, however, Samsung saw a 15% sequential decline in operating profits, or a 25% decline from the same quarter a year earlier. A major stumble for the leading Android smartphone maker might suggest that another OS is on the rise, but a recent report from research firm IDC showed that the first quarter of 2014 saw Android market share continuing to grow, while iOS slipped...."China Warns Microsoft Against Obstructing Probe - WSJ: "Chinese regulators on Monday publicly warned Microsoft Corp. against obstructing an antitrust investigation into the firm, in the latest sign that Beijing has turned frosty on the U.S. software maker. China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce said in a statement that Microsoft should avoid "interfering in or obstructing" the probe. The regulator also said it had questioned Microsoft Deputy General Counsel Mary Snapp as part of the investigation. About 100 SAIC investigators raided Microsoft's offices last week in four Chinese cities. The agency said Microsoft hadn't disclosed relevant information about some security features and how it ties its software products together...."Baidu Jumps Through Hoops To Avoid Reporting Mobile Active Users - Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) | Seeking Alpha: "... Investors, analysts, and the markets seem to agree that Daily Active Users (DAU) are an important metric for evaluating online and mobile businesses. Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) clearly agreed with that, when in response to an SEC inquiry last year, Baidu told the SEC that "the number of average daily active users is the primary metric that the company uses to analyze and manage its mobile search offerings" (July 2nd 2013). In the same letter to the SEC, Baidu said it would provide DAU statistics, including the average number and growth rate, in their future annual reports. Yet when the 2013 annual report was filed, there was no mention of mobile DAUs...."China's Fraught IPOs - QuickTake: "... Since 2000, foreigners have poured money into initial public offerings of China’s Internet companies. The total value of Chinese Internet companies on U.S. exchanges reached $8.4 billion in July. It’s a risky business, though, because nobody knows yet whether the Chinese government considers these companies legal...."Why Billionaires Salivate Over the U.S. Wireless Market - Bloomberg: "... The bet is that wireless data will move beyond phones and tablets to a number of other devices, from cars to smartwatches to thermostats -- all requiring a way to connect to the Internet for updates and monitoring. If that vision comes true, there could be a gold mine in owning one of the few networks capable of handling that demand in the gadget-hungry U.S., where people have proved willing to pay steadily for wireless service even as spending drops elsewhere...."USA FREEDOM Act update: How the NSA hurts our economy, cybersecurity, and foreign policy.: "More than a year after the Snowden revelations, we’re clearly still grappling with the effects of NSA surveillance. As Congress prepares for the August recess, Sen. Patrick Leahy has just introduced a new version of the USA FREEDOM Act, which aims to curb the NSA’s bulk collection and surveillance powers. Calls for immediate, serious reforms are growing louder by the day as new evidence continues to emerge about how much NSA surveillance is costing us—in terms of both the economy and our cybersecurity...."New Report on the Costs of NSA Surveillance | Just Security: "...In its report, the Open Technology Institute finds that the costs of NSA surveillance are indeed quite high. For example, it shows that since the initial Snowden revelations U.S. businesses have reported declining sales abroad because of growing perceptions that U.S. firms are unable to keep customer data secure. The cloud computing industry has been hit the hardest. The report also points to weakened U.S. diplomatic political power, including eroding credibility for the U.S. Internet Freedom agenda, damages to bilateral and multilateral relations, and weakened trust in Internet security more generally..."Meet Minilock, a powerful new encryption tool built on ChromeOS | The Verge: "... A new Chrome app called Minilock wants to change that, and it's available free in the Chrome app store starting today. Developed by Nadim Kobeissi, the program has a simple purpose: encrypting single files for specific recipients. It's solid crypto, but more than that, it makes sense in a way that few programs of its kind do. Like a padlock, Minilock makes it obvious what's locked and what's unlocked. You'll always know who can open what, and you'll never wonder if you've locked it wrong. In the confounding world of modern cryptography, that's pretty impressive...."